Blackhawks Rally to Force Game 7

Bryan Bickell scored a go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Chicago Blackhawks held on to beat the Detroit Red Wings, 4-3, in Game 6 on Monday night, giving the N.H.L.’s top-seeded team a shot to advance to the Western Conference finals.The Red Wings pulled their goaltender, but they were unable to score with the extra skater.Detroit carried a 2-1 lead into the third, but Michal Handzus tied it in the opening minute of the final period. Bickell scored about five minutes later.Michael Frolik’s backhander on a penalty shot at the 9:43 mark put the Blackhawks ahead, 4-2, and silenced the once-raucous crowd.The Blackhawks, who trailed the second-round series, 3-1, began the third period down by one but were up by two goals midway through the period after an offensive flurry. They needed the cushion because Damien Brunner scored with 52 seconds left to pull Detroit within one.Chicago’s Corey Crawford made 35 saves, and Jimmy Howard stopped 24 shots for the Red Wings.The Blackhawks will have the fans on their side Wednesday night in Game 7 against seventh-seeded Detroit.The post-mortems began a few days ago for the N.H.L.’s top team, the Chicago Blackhawks, who were down, 3-1, to the Detroit Red Wings. Pause the grim epitaphs, for now. The Blackhawks have made a sharp turnaround in the Western Conference semifinals, winning Game 5 in Chicago and Game 6 in Detroit to force a Game 7 at the United Center on Wednesday.“I mean, to look at the attitude we’ve had over the last couple of games and where we were just a few days ago, it’s a huge credit to the guys for keeping their heads up and staying loose and being positive.”This is only the second time in Blackhawks history, which dates to the founding of the N.H.L. in 1926, that they have forced a Game 7 after trailing, 3-1. The first time was in 2011, when the Blackhawks recovered against the Vancouver Canucks, only to lose Game 7 in overtime, 2-1, in Vancouver. Wednesday’s Game 7 is also the first between the Blackhawks and the Red Wings since 1965, which Chicago won, 4-2, in Detroit.